Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1887-10-12

"You must be very DID,"
"Better than 100 summers" he an
swered, rubbing his thin hand across
the deeply furrowed brow. 81 was a
young brave then, only boy, but /
have forgotten nothing"
"You say. the whites do not have
the story of the girl correctly pre-
served, so will you tell it to me, that
[ may know the truth of the Lovers
Leap?"
eyes," the old Indian said, and laid
aside his pipe.
"Winona was the daughter of a Da-
kota chief, and as bright and lovely
as the fairest flower OF the prairie.
Many of the Dakota braves loved the
pretty little squaw, and SO did one
pale-face called Seco, who had trad
ing post two rifle shots below the
bluff. The trader offered the chief
much money and beads for Winona,
and the chief said the squaw should go
to the teepee of Seco and be his.
"Winona hated the trader and
loved a young Chippewa brave named
Little Coon, and she said in her heart,
if she could not GO in peace with the
Chippewa she would 60 to her death.
"Just at the time the Dakotas and
Chippewas went to war, and it WAS no
longer safe for Little Coon to visit the
home of Winona. He could not stay
away from the pretty squaw, SO he
went down to Pepin Lake in a canoe
covered with g. tree top and by the
shadows of the night.
"Winona answered Little Coon's
call when he cried out like the little
duck.
zone night she told her lover that
the chief had sold her to the prairie
Chicken Or Seco, the trader, and
that her father had said on the next
night she must go to the teepee of the
pale-face to be his squaw She
moaned pitifully, and said she would
bluff before she would 60 to the trad
er.
"Little Coon asked her to flee with
him, but she said no, for then herself
and lover would be trailed to certain
death, for the Dakota warriors hated
the Chippewa braves.
'sThey talked long and laid plan
to deceive the chief and her people.
"Little Coon hid himself near the
bluff all the next day. When night
came the chief took Winona to the
traders post and left her there. The
squaw was sad, but said not q word
to Seco. She sat and gazed at the
stars for long time. Seco talked to
her like the cooling of g. dove, but his
words touched not her heart.
hn nd
the high hill. The trader was afraid
he would lose her, for she had told
him she would rather die than be his
squaw, and ran after her, but it was
like the turtle after the gazelle.
"Winona went with quick feet to
the top of the bluff, and Seco called
out like the wildcat, and the Dakota
chief and braves, who were encamped
up there, heard him.
"They ran quick.
"Winona heard them, and went to
the very brink chanting the death
song. She bowed herself to the earth,
wrapped her blanket about her
breast, and with q wild cry sprang
out into the dark air OF the night.
''The braves drew near the place
where tine young squaw had stood,
and they heard the sound Of a heavy
fall.
''They looked down into the black
ness, but could see nothing four trees
deep, but the splash of the water was
heard, and they knew Winona was no
more. They went with quick feet to
the Pepin Lake, but the moving water
had carried the dead squaw away for
ever, they said, and they turned sad
1y back to their lodges"
"And they never found the body of
the girl ?" asked.
The white-haired old warrior shook
his head.
''They did not find the body be-
cause it was not left beneath the high
hill, and it never went down into the
lake."
"The lover carried it away" 1 sug-
gested, new thought entering my
head instantly.
SIT went away with Little Coon,
but he didn't carry it. Winona was
not killed"
The idea was absurd. A human be-
ing could not descend, under full
power Of gravitation, hundreds of
I00C, ana 6mlO DrOK0Q rOCKS, W1UnOuC
causing instant death. The red her
NIT OWNED my thoughts, and he
said:
"Ihave told you the lovers planned
to deceive the Dakotas, and they did.
"Winona' secreted long, rawhide
rope under her shawl and dropped it
where her lover was secreted without
stopping to speak, as had been
planned.
"When darkness came Little Coon
went to the top of the bluff and making
q moose on one end of the long rope,
ne laid the circle at the edge of the
rock, put the thong around the pro-
jecting point of stone, and lowered
the end to the. earth below, and then
went down to await the coming Of
Winona.
s'When he heard the death song
from the young squaw's lips, he
grasped the rope firmly.
"Winona wound her shawl about
her breast and then put the moose